Former presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh on Monday demanded that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) rescind the supplement to the Constitutional Declaration that it issued on 17 June, saying it strips away the most important powers of the president-elect.
In a speech delivered on Monday to congratulate President-elect Mohamed Morsy, Abouel Fotouh said that Egypt has paid dearly for the mistakes made by the SCAF and Muslim Brotherhood during the transitional period.
Abouel Fotouh, who came in fourth after the first round of voting, called on both parties to review their respective actions "that have damaged the country."
“This restraining declaration allows the president to receive the presidential residence, but not the presidential powers," he claimed.
Abouel Fotouh described the SCAF’s decision to dissolve the elected Parliament as an “insult to the will of 27 million citizens who elected this People’s Assembly.” He demanded that the State Council's legislative department interpret the Supreme Constitutional Court’s ruling, which found the law governing parliamentary elections unconstitutional for allowing political parties to front candidates for seats reserved for independents.
Abouel Fotouh denounced the prevention of former MPs from entering the parliament building by security forces, saying, “We disagree with Parliament and the way it conducts its business considerably, but we do not agree that the Parliament can be annulled so easily.”
Through mutual cooperation, the nation succeeded in bringing down the former regime’s candidate Ahmed Shafiq by not voting him in to the presidency, Abouel Fotouh continued.
“The goal is the country’s best interests, and there is no place for rivalries between the various political parties,” he said. Abouel Fotouh pointed out that President-elect Morsy will be facing major challenges, especially the restoration of security and improving the ailing economy. He called on Morsy to pay attention to these problems during the first 100 days of his presidency.
Abouel Fotouh said he did not meet with Morsy, nor was he offered any position in his government. He went on to say that the most important thing now is to agree on the course of action, and that “this will not happen under the supplement to the Constitutional Declaration which restrains the President-elect and turns him into a ghost without will or authority.”
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
